CLARK – DEATH PEAK – WARP RECORDS

If you have been tracking his career you will know that the incredibly prolific Chris Clark is a hotbed of genre bending musical energy. ‘Death Peak’ is no different, though this time he has found a way of making music with a more conventional, four to the floor beat that still sounds exciting and challenging. It is also vividly colourful, with loads of oblique riffs and activity, and, perhaps unusually for Clark, some very danceable beats. ‘Peak Magnetic’ typifies all of this, while Aftermath almost dispenses with rhythm to give a rich instrumental tapestry. Living Fantasy dances and shimmers exotically. ‘Un U.K.’ wheels out the heavy artillery but then goes all serene. It is an indication of the softer heart that lies at the centre of this music, a warmth there that wasn’t in the likes of Clarence Park. It suits him and brings an extra dimension to his music – and ensures ‘Death Peak’, despite its name, is all about using as much positive energy as possible. Because of that it is an irresistible album.